The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Film must truly be a director’s medium. How else can such a deep pool of talent produce such a pounding headache of a remake? It’s a migraine that can bear only one name: Tony Scott. He’s the generous soul who, after mounting the ugly Dakota Fanning kidnapping movie, Man on Fire, delivered both Domino and Deja Vu, films that can turn you on to going to bed early. To say that The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 is marginally better than those crimes is only to admit that Scott’s Ritalin-deprived aesthetic suits an already ridiculous premise.